


he's the same (but he's not you)

by chocomintscoups (chatdelune)



Series: don't let the strings of fate go unpunished [3]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M, POV Alternating, Parallel Universes, i swear my ult ship is wonhui but when i write them they always sink and i am Tired, if you can even call it fluff idk anymore, some little fluff, the only thing im good at tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 19:00:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13665285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chatdelune/pseuds/chocomintscoups
Summary: It's the voice and its reverberating warmth that Wonwoo fell in love with, while Jun was months too late.





	he's the same (but he's not you)

**Author's Note:**

> based off on this [tweet](https://twitter.com/wonujerry/status/958844885049602049), April this is all your fault but I adore you so I'm more than willing to fuel your angst bar
> 
> thank you Rosie for the support yeet 
> 
> IMPORTANT THING IN MIND: Jun and Junhui are different, same as Wonwoo and Wonu. In Jun's universe, there's Wonu; in Wonwoo's, it's Junhui. Please don't get confused (like me at first), but there are times I will use the "other" indicator (ex. Other Jun).
> 
> I hope you like it~!

Things like this don’t happen to Wonwoo often. Sure, he’s branded as crazy because of his work, but this is a new level of crazy. He just came down from his apartment’s rooftop after watching a lunar eclipse, taking a cigarette for the stress he dealt the whole day. Most of the time he smokes at the rooftop, but since there are people hanging around there, he decided to just open his window in his apartment. The windows of this complex are quite old, with the hinges rusty and it makes a creaky sound when Wonwoo slides it open.

 

He takes a drag and leans forward, watching the distant cars string together in traffic. The moon shines brightly above the building, and Wonwoo sighs at it. “Why do people think you’re a boy? And the sun is a girl? That makes no sense.” He takes another drag and blows, rolling his eyes at the memory of the people chattering earlier.

 

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

 

Wonwoo looks out the window, but there's no one there. The voice is quite pleasant in Wonwoo's ears, like a sweet melted chocolate and warmth emitted by a crippling fireplace. The creepy thing is, the voice is coming directly outside it like the person speaking is right in front of him, leaning inside. He sticks his head out, seeing he's too far up to have someone hanging around out there. Is it a ghost? He clears his throat. "Yes, I can. Hi."

 

"Oh, hello! Um, I heard you were mumbling about the moon and the sun, so I can't help but butt in and say that moon and sun are gay, okay? They're gay for each other. This is why eclipses are special."

 

He can't help but grin widely. "Exactly! Glad to know someone is an intellectual."

 

"Thank you! Why are stressing about that, if you don't mind me asking? Sorry, I was just wondering... you don't have to answer or talk to me," the person laughs, far too forced to be a normal laugh. "I'm uh... just gonna go and—"

 

"Wait, no! Don't leave, it's okay! It was some people at the rooftop earlier, they were talking about the eclipse."

 

"Ah... huh, there was no eclipse."

 

"Didn't you see it? It occurred twenty minutes ago."

 

"No, it's a crescent moon here." Wonwoo furrows his brows. How is that even possible to not see the eclipse? The whole world saw it. Unless this person isn't from this planet. Are they a ghost or an alien? "That's pretty weird."

 

He stares at the full moon that's kind of mocking him. "This is um, pretty weird for me too. How are we even speaking to each other? How did you hear me?"

 

"I dunno, I only opened my window for some fresh air and I so happen to hear you talking. It's unnerving, 'cause I'm at the seventeenth floor of a condominium and you're a disembodied voice right now."

 

"You too."

 

A short giggle. "Cool."

 

"I'm Wonwoo."

 

"Nice to meet you, disembodied voice Wonwoo! I'm Jun!"

 

"Pleasure to hear such a nice disembodied voice."

 

"I like your name, by the way."

 

"Thanks, I got it for my birthday."

 

There's silence and Wonwoo thought Jun left because of his joke, but then he hears pleasant giggling and his anxiety calms itself down. “That’s,” Jun probably wipes his tears from so much laughing, “That’s a good one!”

 

“Ah, you’re the first one to say that. My friends tell me I have a lame sense of humor.”

 

“We’re both lame then, ‘cause I really found that funny and cute.”

 

Wonwoo quirks an eyebrow, a smile tugging on his lips. “Cute?”

 

“O-oh, uh...” Jun squeaks, “I have to go water my cat and feed the plants. Bye, Wonwoo! Nice to meet you!”

 

Wonwoo laughs. Okay, maybe having an alien friend isn’t bad after all.

 

 

 

 

 

He decides to tell his friends about it, in which peaks their interest. As an astrophysicist, you tend to have peculiar friends, thus Wonwoo befriending firework designer Soonyoung, biochemical engineer Hansol and fellow astrophysicist Chan. They’re not the greatest bunch, but to Wonwoo it’s enough. He gets to nerd out with other nerds.

 

"Hey, Jun? Are you there?" Wonwoo calls out, tapping the glass before sliding it open. The sudden wind flows in the apartment, making Soonyoung squint at the impact on his face. No one answers at the other side.

 

"He's probably away right now, he'll be back tonight." Wonwoo mumbles. This doesn't stop his friends to doubt his claims.

 

Hansol scratches his head, eyes shifting from the open window and to Wonwoo. "Uh, hyung? Maybe... maybe you were so tired last night that you just had a conversation with yourself. There's no way someone is on the other side of your window at the twelfth floor."

 

"Eonu, I admit I want you to have a boyfriend, but this is a stretch." Soonyoung adds in.

 

Chan simply blinks at them. “Quantum theory.”

 

“Quantum theory.” Wonwoo nods.

 

 

 

 

The more Jun spends a little spare time to talk to Wonwoo, the more he falls.

 

And it’s scaring him.

 

“You _are_ falling in love.” Jihoon states one day while they’re out for lunch, while they’re munching on nachos and pizza pockets. “ _Fall_ is the operative term. You don’t walk, leap or glide in love. It means plummeting from a certain height, landing on the cold hard ground, accumulating bruises.” He waves a nacho chip on Jun’s face. “Junnie, it’s why it’s called falling in love for a reason. You can wind up maimed, or worse. Dead.”

 

Jun thinks he doesn’t want to be dead because of love, but what could be worse?

 

 

 

 

 

“I was waiting for you to come back.” Wonwoo says after their initial greeting. He started setting up an alarm on his phone for when Jun is home, just so he wouldn’t miss him. Plus, they eat dinner together.

 

 _Together_ , not in the way that Wonwoo wanted. It’s only Jun’s voice and him eating by the window.

 

“Sorry, there was a rush order in the shop, I couldn’t deny a frantic request of a man who almost forgot his wedding anniversary.”

 

Wonwoo chuckles, “Ah, relatable.”

 

“Oh! Do you have a special someone, Wonwoo?” Jun’s tone is teasing with a little bit of wonder.

 

“Yeah, I’m talking to him right now.” There are flustered noises in the air, and Wonwoo only laughs.

 

“Stop being smooth, it’s embarrassing.”

 

“But you love it.”

 

“Unfortunately.”

 

 

 

 

Seungcheol told Jun it wouldn’t hurt to search out for Wonwoo. The thing is, Jun doesn’t know where to start. Wonwoo might not be in Seoul, let alone in Korea. So he dismisses the thought. Seungcheol offers do it for him, but all he can provide is a first name. There are a lot of Wonwoo’s around. He could be anyone here, but Jun believes there’s only one Wonwoo with the deep voice that swims in his mind.

 

 

 

 

 

Wonwoo brings up about multiverses, along with the idea of another them in both worlds.

 

“I mean, if you have a Mingyu and Seungcheol there in your world and as have I, there might be another us.”

 

"Cheol mentioned that too and we tried. I guess there's no Wonwoo in this world." Jun says, voice unwavering. Wonwoo can imagine him smiling sadly; a face that doesn’t have a face in a sense, but it works out on his mind. "Well, I wasn't actively seeking for a Wonwoo either. You're enough."

 

 _I’m not actively seeking for a Jun either too. You’re more than enough to me._ Wonwoo wants to say, but doesn’t. He thinks him bringing this possibility and then telling Jun he doesn’t need a copy is being hypocritical. Wonwoo drops the subject by asking Jun his opinion about cats.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Hansol and Seokmin’s birthday. Wonwoo isn’t that close to Seokmin, but Hansol is practically one of his brothers and he can’t lose an opportunity to get wasted with his friends. He leaves his books opened and dresses his best, then goes to Hansol’s house. The gathering is already on full swing with Soonyoung dancing on the table with Chan and Seokmin hyping him up, Seungcheol bringing out the best liquor he has and Hansol making a fool of himself in front of Seungkwan, in which the latter still find endearing. Upon his arrival, Minghao and a tall (and albeit gorgeous) man tailing behind him greets Wonwoo over.

 

“Yah, Wonwoo-hyung. You’re late.” Minghao takes the paper bags he’s holding and peeks inside, seeing it’s also liquor.

 

“Hey, Myungho. What did I miss?” He asks, looking over at Soonyoung swinging his shirt over his head with a cup spilling vodka on his hand. Wonwoo chuckles at the sight.

 

Minghao shrugs, “Not much, you didn’t see Soon-ah taking body shots off of Chan earlier though.”

 

“A shame. That would’ve been great blackmail.”

 

“Totally. Oh yeah, Wonwoo-hyung. This is my cousin, Junhui.” Minghao motions to the guy beside him, “He just got back from Osaka. Ge, this is Wonwoo. He’s the space nerd I was telling you about.”

 

It’s the voice and its reverberating warmth that Wonwoo fell in love with.

 

Wonwoo should’ve just stayed home.

 

Wonwoo should’ve just continued his research about multiverse cross-overs.

 

Wonwoo should’ve just lied he’s sick and told Hansol he’ll take him out to lunch next time.

 

The man smiles at him, and Wonwoo’s heart almost leaps out of his chest. “Hello, I’m Junhui.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the middle of taking out new deliveries, Jun feels a chill down his spine. It pools down to his lower back and stays there, getting colder as time passes by. Nothing is out of the ordinary, so why is he anxious the whole day?

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I found a Jun. He sounds so much like you. He has black hair that falls just above his eyes. His eyes are round and colored russet irises, he looks innocent. He has moles on his face.” It’s exciting and downright terrifying; Wonwoo doesn’t know which is worse.

 

"Really? I just dyed my hair chestnut brown... but that's nice, Wonwoo-yah! He sounds cute to me!" Jun's tone is a little weird, but Wonwoo doesn't point it out.

 

"He is cute." _But he's not you._ "I'm not sure if he's a you in my world. Did my descriptions match?"

 

"I'm tan and have moles on my face, but ehh. I dunno." Jun is almost inaudible, Wonwoo had to lean closer to the window to hear him.

 

The velvet trill bids goodbye early that night.

 

 

 

 

 

“Is it bad to be in love with a voice?”

 

Jihoon stares at him from the counter, his feline eyes blinking slowly like he has all the time in the world to blink as he watches Jun snip off astilbe and purple pansies from their pots. “What do you think?”

 

Jun makes a face, “I’m asking you.”

 

“No, why do you think I fell in love with Cheollie? He has a nice singing voice.”

 

He shudders at the memory, that one Valentine ’s Day when they’re in college. It was when Jun decided Jihoon wasn’t his friend for a day. “Ji, he sounded like an old man singing in a karaoke bar at two in the morning when he serenaded you.”

 

Jihoon scoffs, flicking off a stray petal in front of him. “Not my point. Whose voice are we talking about here?”

 

“You know who it is.” The shorter man groans loudly, a scowl forming on his face. To Jun, it still looks adorable no matter how much effort Jihoon tries to make it look threatening.

 

“I mean, it’s not necessarily bad. It’s just... it’s just that this is completely out of your hands. That guy is out of reach. You don’t even know what he looks like.”

 

Jun gazes at the flowers in his hands. It wasn’t intentional, but he took ones that meant waiting. “I know that.”

 

“I suggest you try finding him here. Maybe he’s a better person in this universe than the one you’re talking to right now.”

 

“Yeah, good idea.” _I don’t think I can do it._

 

 

 

 

 

Wonwoo is on edge whenever Junhui’s around, whenever the man looks at him is like someone is stabbing him in the chest with needles repeatedly. 

 

Junhui is a mirror of the Jun who's at the other side of the window. They have the same soothing voice that Wonwoo loves, the same bubbly laugh that makes his day, the same spazz ball that he had come to welcome openly in his life, the same beautiful boy that also adores him.

 

The only difference is that Other Jun doesn't have the same spark of connection to Wonwoo.

 

Something is missing, but Wonwoo doesn't know what it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jun comes to the cemetery to visit his late close friend. He sits on the grass and places down the bouquet of pink carnations, stargazer lilies and white roses beside the stone. “Hi, Shua-hyung. It’s been a while, isn’t it? I hope you’re doing well where you are... I’ve been busy lately so I’m sorry for missing your birthday last year. Work is usual, still taking care of flowers. I miss having you around, though.”

 

The wind blows, caressing his cheeks.  Jun smiles, “I know I shouldn’t be sad, but I am. I swear I’m doing better. There is some new stuff that happened lately, I just moved into the condominium we always wanted to get and... there’s this window that lets me talk to someone. His name is Wonwoo. He’s a very sweet guy with a deep voice. Not like the action film villain kind of deep, but like lying down under layers and layers of blankets that it’s warm and cozy and you want to sleep forever. His voice is a lullaby.”

 

A single leaf falls from the tree near him. “No, I’ve never seen him. He’s from another world, hyung. I think there’s also a Wonwoo here, but I haven’t met him yet.”

 

In a distance, he sees two boys walking towards his direction. They stop over three tombstones beside Joshua’s. The shorter of the two pats the tombstone, his eyes turning into sad slits when he smiled. “Eonu! It’s been six months, bro. We miss you so much.”

 

“We would ask you to do another lesson about stars, but I don’t think we’ll hear you from heaven so we brought your old recordings!” The other says, pulling out a laptop from his rucksack and sitting down to boot it up. From Jun’s angle, he looks American from the sharp features.

 

“Our squad has been down without you. We miss our night owl.”

 

“Here’s one of your night owl moments, dude. My favourite video log of yours. You were so whipped for this person.” He presses play, and immediately a familiar voice rings throughout the area.

 

 _“Recording number eighteen. This is just a short one; I got lazy writing down my journal. Mostly, I’m just bored and I can’t sleep right now. To start off,”_ the voice sighs. Jun begins to stand. _“Hi, I’m Jeon Wonu. It’s... two-forty six in the morning and my body won’t cooperate with me. I also have a class tomorrow about the two types of supernova, but I will not drawl on that. Let’s talk about something personal. So as the quantum theory suggests, we have other universes occurring alongside of ours. It could overlap and co-exist with ours, affecting each other...”_

Jun slowly steps towards them, one foot in front of the other, closer to the laptop showing the owner of the voice. Wonwoo already found a Jun in his world —alive and well— and he has yet to find a Wonwoo.

 

He stops behind the shorter one, tapping their shoulders. Immediately, they close the laptop. “Hello, can we help you?” The short one asks.

 

“Uh, I was wondering if I could um... if I could take a look of who’s talking. I think I’ve heard his voice before.”

 

“Maybe you’re in his classes? But uh, sure man.” American-looking one answers, opening the laptop again and presses play. Jun takes a deep breath before looking down at the screen.

 

_“... I may sound crazy, but I had a dream of talking to another person in the other universe...”_

 

He knows this man.

 

He had seen him before.

 

 _“... I won’t say his name, because I know Soonyoung would probably find this and he’ll do some creepy FBI shit that I won’t tolerate.”_ The shorter one laughs loudly, though it’s evident that he’s crying a little.

The man on the screen —Wonu— smiles, and Jun can feel tears prickling his eyes, threatening to slide down. _“I fell in love with his voice. His laugh was heavenly. And when I saw his face in the dream, oh god, he’s the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen. The prettiest almond eyes. His beauty marks like a constellation on golden tan skin that most people would envy. Graceful, lovely little angel. The past few days, I’ve been searching around trying to find him in this universe. So far, no avail.”_ A yawn, _“Okay, I’m sleepy. I hope I get to dream about him again. Goodnight.”_

 

This was the man he had seen got hit by a car months ago. He was across the street when it happened, Jun called the ambulance for him. These two boys were at the hospital that night, waiting for the news. He remembers the wailing around him, the silent thank you from the man’s father for being there for a stranger. The moment he went home, he didn’t understand why it felt like something was ripped away from his heart.

 

“You alright?” Soonyoung glances up at Jun. “Why are you crying?”

 

“Huh?” He wipes the fallen tears with his sleeve, shaking his head. “Nothing. From the video, he seemed like he was a great person.”

 

The other boy perks up, “He was.”

 

Jun gazes at the smiling Wonu at the screen. The heaviness doesn’t go away as thorns are at the brink of spilling from his throat.

 

This is Wonwoo in this world... and he’s _dead_.

 

And Jun was months too late.

 

 

 

 

 

“Junhui, would you be my boyfriend?”

 

It’s irrational, but _love_ is irrational. This is why people have the knack for picking the person who makes them feel miserable. Everyone declares that love is irrational, and yet every time this has been proven correct, they act surprised. They assume that love will suddenly make an exception for their cases. And love never does.

 

Wonwoo is one of those people.

 

Junhui is the closest thing he can get to Jun and he is running out of options.

 

The question is this:

 

Did Wonwoo pick Junhui to make himself feel miserable?

 

“Absolutely.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

_“The doctor said he kept mentioning someone when he was at the emergency room.”_

_“What’s the name?”_

_“I think it’s Jun? Moon? Something like that. He kept repeating it. Then, he said he was sorry he couldn’t be with him before... before he was gone.”_

 

 

 

“It’s cruel, you know? That we’re like this.”

 

Jun sighs heavily, while Wonwoo blows out smoke in the air out to the open window. This has become a pattern to them. Wonwoo smokes as Jun sighs from the other side. Sometimes Jun would talk about his day, his fleeting thoughts that he couldn’t share with anyone in his world. Sometimes Wonwoo would try to give his two cents about it, most of the time he would console him.

 

They don’t bring up something about their situation. They’re way past it, but they both know it bothers them.

 

“I know.”

 

“I finally found you here.” Jun doesn’t sound happy at all. He should be happy, right? Wonwoo should be happy too, but he feels unusually empty.

 

“Oh yeah? How am I there? Am I handsome?”

 

“ _Were_.” Jun chokes out. Wonwoo stills, cigarette smoke almost asphyxiating him. “You were handsome. I didn’t... I didn’t know it was you that night. I was so worried for a stranger that I didn’t even ask for his name. You’re... you’re dead, Wonwoo.”

 

He’s crying.

 

The cigarette slips from his fingers, falling down to the asphalt twelve floors below. Wonwoo can’t do anything but listen to his sobs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He figures out what’s missing.

 

Junhui isn’t home.

 

But when Wonwoo gets a proposal he couldn’t pass on, he forces himself to believe that Jun is unreachable no matter how hard Wonwoo wants to get a hold of him and to believe that Junhui _could_ be home.

 

There's nothing he can do anymore.

 

Wonwoo shuts the window close.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jun waits.

 

Jun waits for Wonwoo to tap the glass.

 

Jun waits for the deep melodic voice to deluge in his ears, pleasantly ringing until Jun enters his dreams.

 

Jun waits for Wonwoo to come back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jun waits.

**Author's Note:**

> top ten anime betrayals
> 
> kudos and comments are very appreciated! thank you for reading!  
> main twt: @wenjeons  
> writing twt: @badmsfrosty


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